Pegasus Post: August 15, 2017

6 Tuesday August 15 2017
Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
News
PEGASUS POST
CORRECT: The lights at the intersection of Colombo St and Edgeware Rd are only triggered if a car is in the above position. Right: Cars parking to the left of the
intersection do not trigger the lights.
Recipe for disaster as rat-runners
avoid busy intersection queue
• By Julia Evans
FRUSTRATED motorists
waiting for a green light at a busy
intersection are taking short cuts
through a bar’s car park – which
the owner says is a recipe for
disaster.
And if someone is injured it
will be the city council’s fault,
co-owner of Bailies Bar and Restaurant,
Richard Norton said.
His bar is on the busy
intersection of Colombo St
and Edgeware Rd. Drivers cut
through the car park to avoid the
lights.
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“People have started
racing through the car
park, it’s dangerous,
it’s going to cause an
accident,” Mr Norton said.
He said it’s frustration
that causes accidents and
one is inevitable if the
lights stay in the “absolute
shemozzle” they are.
“If that [an accident] happens,
I’d hold the city council
responsible since they know
the intersection isn’t working
properly,” he said.
The city council told Nor’West
News the congestion is due to
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Ryan Cooney
drivers not approaching
the intersection properly
rather than incorrect light
phasing so it won’t be putting
in a fix.
“Investigations of the
site have found that the
traffic signals are correctly
configured, however,
due to some uncertainty
of drivers regarding how to use
road space there is increased
congestion as a result of the
traffic signals not operating as
intended,” Christchurch Transport
Operations Centre manager
Ryan Cooney said.
The underground detectors on
Colombo St are adjacent to the
centre line, as there is car parking
next to the kerb for the shops.
“Unfortunately, some drivers
are stopping adjacent to the kerb
when waiting at the limit line
and therefore the traffic signal
phase for Colombo St is not being
called,” he said.
Mr Cooney said the city council
would not be putting in more
sensors to trigger the lights.
He said if a vehicle parked with
no intention of going through,
the signals would change the
phase allowing for movement
from Colombo St when it is not
necessary.
“Therefore detectors would
result in too much time being
allocated to Colombo St.”
But Mr Norton said the city
council is simply trying to “pass
the buck” and not take responsibility
for the error.
“You’ve never seen another
intersection like it anywhere else
in the city and there’s a reason
for that,” he said.
The city council has received
six complaints about the lights
that were installed as part of the
Papanui Parallel cycleway.
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